My kids are 14-19, so they will eat anything and enjoy a good meal. That being said, I’m hoping to avoid an enormous bill but still have something nice. Any suggestions?
La Ciccia. Casual atmosphere, incredible food, very interesting wine list. Huge bang for the buck in fine dining in SF, IMO.
If you’d like to take them to North Beach for some really good Cioppino, try Sotto Mare.
Zuni.
I’m in a similar boat, though it is just myself and my girlfriend.
Funny, La Cuccia, Sotto Mare, and Zuni were all on my initial list.
I have made reservations at Zuni and Watermark. Any feedback on Watermark is appreciated.
I was also told Prospect is decent (not fancy, nut good).
This is a fantastic selection. Much more interesting (IMHO) and a better value than the other suggestions so far. Three more:
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Leopold’s on Polk Street in Russian Hill, which is an awesome Austrian restaurant. Think taxidermy, beer steins, and an elevated take on the classic schnitzels and wursts plus a few quite refined options. I bet your kids would love it almost as much as I do.
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Nopalito for very high quality but very traditional Mexican. Mamacita is my favorite fancy Mexican place, but it can get pretty pricey. Nopalito is just as good (but more traditional) and for very reasonable prices.
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Barbacco. Little brother to Perbacco. Inexpensive, casual, but fantastic pastas from the same kitchen as one of the best Italian restaurants in the city.
also Nopa
Tartine, if you’re ok with the limited menu.
Kin Khao for Thai
My favorite restaurant in SF is Gary Danko
Zazie is a wonderful neighborhood gem with a laid back atmosphere, outstanding food, thoughtful wine list, and overall it is very reasonably priced. The markups on the wine are modest.
Zazie is a wonderful neighborhood gem with a laid back atmosphere, outstanding food, thoughtful wine list, and overall it is very reasonably priced. The markups on the wine are modest.
Yep. So good. If it were in NYC I would eat there all the time. Very eclectic and reasonably priced list to boot.
no corkage fee on like Tuesdays or something.
Zuni and similar places are why I left San Francisco. There’s nothing of interest going on here, just (a $48!) roast chicken and oysters and “figs on a plate.” It’s an authentic SF experience for sure, but not one I’d pay money for. Maybe that’s a bit harsh but I just can’t get excited about the cuisine. Rich Table around the corner is better.
Thanks to everyone for their input, I will spend some time looking at the menus, etc.
Thanks again
not exactly low bill territory…but a great restaurant no doubt
Zuni & Danko are very expensive. If you’re plans are somewhat far out, you could consider Trestle, 3 stars from the SF Chronicle, very new, Family style priice fixe; $35.00 per person, you can add a pasta for another !0.00, but you wouldn’t need one each, just share one or two.
I tend to agree with the criticism of Zuni. I think it’s a good restaurant, but it pretty expensive for what you get, and while it might have once been remarkable, its not that interesting. I’ve probably eaten there around 6-7 times (the first was in 2005), and had enjoyable meals each time, but with creeping prices and an increasingly high baseline for quality among San Francisco restaurants, it has become less compelling over the years. Now that I’ve moved away I’ll probably never go back.
Paul W.'s comment about moving away from SF because of “Zuni and similar places” is pretty funny though. I can’t imagine what particular sensitivity Paul has that make Zuni and its ilk so offensive that he literally can’t stand being in the same city, but I sympathize. Lacking that particular sensitivity, I think the argument is strong for San Francisco standing beside New York as the best cities in the US for eating, across price-points (except the extreme low-end of course) and cuisines. SF’s main deficiencies are bagels and high quality regional Chinese (surprisingly). Sure other places are better for particular niches, but SF is great almost across the board.
I should clarify Jay. When I left SF in 2002 the place was rampant with Zuni and Boulevard type restaurants and there really wasn’t much creativity. Restaurants were trapped by their great produce and stopped focusing on technique. Luckily that’s changed with Benu/Saison/coi/Crenn etc now but that sort of creativity didn’t exist and it pushed me north where chef’s could afford to flex a bit.
It’d certainly help if the OP would state what qualifies as an “enormous bill”. Some folks wouldn’t blanch at a $200+ bill all in after tax and tip for 2 adults and 2 teens, if there’s adult beverages involved. Others would have issues if the tab for a family of 4 exceeds $100 all in.
Chow, with locations in the Upper Market/Castro and out by Golden Gate Park in the Inner Sunset, is very easy on the wallet while also being of good quality.